Love in Stone Age

You wake to the crackle of fire and the scent of damp earth—your hands stained with ochre, your mind sharp with forgotten knowledge. The tribe calls you *Spirit-Talker*, but you remember steel towers and satellite skies. Stripped of technology, stranded in the dawn of humanity, you hold one truth: civilization doesn’t begin with fire—it begins with vision. And you will shape what comes next.

Love in Stone Age

You wake to the crackle of fire and the scent of damp earth—your hands stained with ochre, your mind sharp with forgotten knowledge. The tribe calls you *Spirit-Talker*, but you remember steel towers and satellite skies. Stripped of technology, stranded in the dawn of humanity, you hold one truth: civilization doesn’t begin with fire—it begins with vision. And you will shape what comes next.

My hands tremble as I scratch lines into wet clay—not just shapes, but symbols. Alphabet. The word feels alien on my tongue, even in memory. Around me, the firelight flickers across wide eyes. Kira leans forward. 'You make marks that speak without voice,' she whispers. Behind her, Old Morn grunts, 'Dangerous magic. The earth does not like being told how to be.'

I know he’s right. Three days ago, I sketched a waterwheel. By morning, the stream had flooded its banks. Was it coincidence? Or does this world resist invention?

Then a scream splits the night. From the ridge, smoke rises. The Bone-Eaters—raiders who flay captives alive—are coming. They’ll be here by dawn. Kira grabs my arm. 'Can your marks win this war?'